UOC: While our faithful defend the east, our temples are seized in the west

Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, the Chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, noted that the bills to ban the UOC in wartime look particularly cynical. Vladyka said this in a sermon posted on his YouTube channel.

“In the Verkhovna Rada, some MPs are initiating bills aimed at destroying the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, at ending the religious life of millions of Ukrainians. Why do these anti-church bills and laws look particularly cynical right now? Because the war in Ukraine has been going on for more than five weeks with hostilities mainly in the eastern and southern regions: Kharkiv, Donetsk, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv," the bishop said.

Metropolitan Anthony drew attention to the fact that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in these regions is represented in the majority, which means that the temples of the UOC in these regions were destroyed and damaged by dozens.

“Our believers here suffer most of all when they heroically defend their country. Thanks to their actions, the front is now not in the center of the country, and even more so not in its west. Is it fair in such a situation to initiate laws against the existence of the Church behind the backs of Her believers? Is it fair to call these people enemies and traitors? Is it fair, taking advantage of the situation, to seize the temples of our Church with arms in hand? Is it fair to force our believers to transfer to another confession through the threat of reprisal against them? The answer is obvious," the UOC Metropolitan noted bitterly.

Recall that in Smela, Cherkasy region, supporters of the OCU disrupted the service, blocked the temple and demanded that the believers join the OCU.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to Metropolitan Anthony, they are trying to adopt a bill to ban the UOC behind the backs of Orthodox soldiers.